Roger Federer shed tears of joy as the Swiss star hailed his record eighth Wimbledon title as one of the most magical moments of his astounding career.

Federer crushed injury-hit Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in Sunday's final to move past Pete Sampras and William Renshaw into sole possession of first place on the list of male Wimbledon champions.

The emotional 35-year-old, who now has 19 Grand Slam titles, is the oldest man to win Wimbledon in the Open era and the first since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to go through the entire tournament without dropping a set.

In the five years since he last won Wimbledon, Federer had suffered two All England Club final defeats at the hands of Novak Djokovic, but with his title rivals falling by the wayside this time, he has enjoyed a serene path to glory.

Even by Federer's sky-high standards, his record triumph was an especially golden moment and the Swiss star was in tears as he waved at his wife Mirka and four children before the Centre Court trophy presentation.

"Holding the trophy now, after not dropping a set in the tournament, it's magical really. I can't believe it yet. It's too much," Federer said.

"It's disbelief I can achieve such heights. I wasn't sure I would ever be here in another final after last year. I had some tough ones in the finals, losing two against Novak (Djokovic).

"But I always believed. I kept on believing and dreaming I could get back.

"Here am I today with the eighth. It's fantastic, if you keep believing you can go far in your life."

Federer was aided by the foot injury that left Cilic hobbled from midway through the first set and reduced the Croat to tears in the second set.